San Antonio's Katie Leclerc, star of the ABC Family series “Switched at Birth,” shares a sweet story about her new dog.

A hunky TV newcomer from Corpus wows us with an original number from the second season of NBC's “Smash.”

Gary Busey is, well, Gary Busey. His reason for being a part of “All-Star Celebrity Apprentice,” debuting March 3? “I didn't have anything else to do.”

These are just a few of the fun celebrity jolts that have kept me from falling into a zombie state during the marathon known as the Television Critics Association tour. For 14 days, network after network roll out the countless shows that make up the midseason TV lineup; it can get hypnotic to the point of sleep-inducing.

Thank heavens for the occasional colorful moment. Some samples so far:

Movie stars Douglas and Damon became playful when they spoke of “Behind the Candelabra,” an original film from Steven Soderbergh debuting on HBO this spring. Douglas plays the flamboyant Liberace, and Damon portrays his younger live-in lover Scott Thorson. The film covers their entire relationship — from their first meeting at the Vegas Hilton to their bitter breakup.

“You're not going to ever be exactly like Liberace,” Douglas said of the challenges of the role, adding: You just try “to find the balance that makes you comfortable ... makes myself attractive to Matt.”

Asked if he succeeded, Damon also got a laugh, saying Douglas was “very, very attractive.”

Both Damon and Douglas raved about the outrageous costumes they got to wear throughout the filming. What did Douglas' wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, say when she saw him decked out like Liberace?

“Where have you been all my life?” the actor quipped.

A Hallmark moment

At a Hallmark Channel dinner party, I was excited to reconnect with pretty, flame-haired Leclerc, who was born and raised in San Antonio. Though known best for her role as teen Daphne Vasquez on ABC Family's “Switched at Birth,” which starts its second season this week, you also may remember her as the deaf love interest of Raj Koothrappali on “The Big Bang Theory.”

Like those two characters, Leclerc, too, has a hearing disorder; at 20, she was diagnosed with Meniere's disease and suffers from fluctuating hearing loss. Though she describes the condition as “annoying,” it doesn't stop her from landing plum roles. She'll be seen in “The Confession” on Hallmark Channel in May; she plays an Amish girl who makes her first journey to the outside world in search of her birth mother.

Leclerc's hearing disorder also helped her relate to her new dog, Gus.

“When we realized he wasn't responding to us, we discovered he was deaf. So, we taught him sign language — the cutest thing in the world. It's indeed a serendipitous world.”

Broadway star

Move over, Eva Longoria. Another Corpus Christi native is headed for prime time. Dreamy Jeremy Jordan, 28, will soon make his debut on “Smash.” He plays Jimmy, the writer of a new rock musical who has caught the eye of Karen (Katharine McPhee), the actress chosen to play Marilyn in Broadway-bound musical “Bombshell.”

Jordan said he took choir in high school in Corpus but had no clue if he was a good enough singer to make a living at it. However, once he made it to New York (he graduated from Ithaca College), he got proof aplenty, landing the role of Tony in Broadway's revival of “West Side Story,” the lead of the musical version of “Bonnie & Clyde” and the Tony-nominated role of Jack Kelly in Broadway hit “Newsies.”

Eyes on Hunter

Sometimes, it only takes a fun wardrobe choice to perk up a session. Take the striped socks James Caan wore at a “Magic City” Q&A for Starz.

Most memorable, however, had to be a mini-dress worn by Holly Hunter, who looked more like a teenager than the 54-year-old woman she is. At a Sundance Channel session for mysterious March miniseries “Top of the Lake,” I was so fascinated by the print of her frock that I walked up for a closer look. Noticing my interest, Hunter said in her trademark Southern drawl: “They're all eyes!”

Jeanne Jakle's column runs Wednesdays and Sundays in S.A. Life. Email her at jjakle@express-news.net.